Hiding Place

Amelia’s girls’ night turned into a girls two day spa experience down in Santa Cruz which meant that Danielle and I were on our own for another night. Part of me wanted to suggest going back to the sports bar we were at last night and watching the second game of the two game series against the Jays but I didn’t want to subject her to that again. I know she only tolerates baseball because of me.

“Hey do you want to watch movies and order a pizza tonight?” I suggested as I was sprawled out on the couch and she was in the room we crashed in every year. Maybe a night in would be to our benefit seeing as we rallied through three pitchers of beer and a tequila shot between the two of us last night. “I can hook my laptop up to the tv so we can watch Netflix too.”

Danielle came out of the room with an orange t-shirt on and black shorts. “So you didn’t want to go to the bar again?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “I didn’t think you would want to go and watch another three hours of baseball… Especially with how I got last night.” I really didn’t want to have round two of embarrassment at the bar – particularly if that guy Logan Couture was there again.

She laughed, “Don’t worry about that Em. You’re hilarious when it comes to defending the Giants. If you buy the first two rounds, I’ll watch as much baseball as you want.” Danielle threw my black Giants t-shirt at me. “Oh we need to be there before the first pitch.”

After pulling my blue t-shirt off and replacing it with the Giants shirt, I gave her a questioning look. “Why do you want to be there before the first pitch?”

“Because I don’t need you whining about how you missed the first pitch. You’re more superstitious than you let on,” she laughed once more. “Come on, let’s go!”

Tonight was definitely something I did not expect to ever happen.

---

The bar was much busier tonight than it was last night, which kind of surprised me considering how terrible the Giants played last night. Danielle and I took a seat at the table next to the one we were at the night before. Danielle kept checking her watch and looking around with a smile on her face. “So what’s up?” I questioned as our sever dropped off some menus and checked our IDs.

“I entered a draw last night and they are announcing the winner tonight. You had to be here before the first pitch of the game tonight. I hope that’s okay with you, I mean I know you love the Giants but I didn’t want to come for them,” she shrugged and ordered the first pitcher of beer.

There was no way I could be mad at that. If it meant that I got to watch the Giants then I considered it to be a win-win situation. Although, I was curious as to what sort of draw she would have entered in a sports bar. I secretly hoped it wasn’t for Earthquakes tickets because I needed a break from soccer for a bit before we kicked it up a notch and started our summer training regiment.

On the walk over we agreed on a pizza tonight – which is exactly why we needed two weeks off to do absolutely nothing soccer related. I ordered a classic pepperoni and mushroom pizza when our sever, Natasha, dropped off our pitcher of beer and two glasses. “So what’s this draw for?”

Danielle smiled and poured our first two glasses before answering my question. “Okay first of all, if I win, you have to promise me you’ll come with me.” I nodded. I had to, she was taking a second consecutive bullet of baseball night with me, it was the least I could do. “The draw is for two tickets to the Sharks’ playoff game this weekend. I think it’s on Friday. The seats are at centre ice, a couple of rows up and there’s unlimited beer during the game.”

Ugh hockey.

“Oh wow that sounds like a sweet deal,” I took a long sip of my beer.

She shrugged, “I doubt I’ll win I mean with the number of entries in the box? What are the odds that my name will be picked?”

“Attention everyone,” the manager of the bar – at least I assumed he was – grabbed a microphone and started to speak. “As you all know, the Sharks made it to the second round of the playoffs this year in their quest for the Stanley Cup.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as the bar cheered.

“And we here at Stanley’s are big supporters of the Sharks. So the draw! We had to cut it off with entries that were placed yesterday and you must be in attendance to win! The prize is two centre ice tickets to the game this Friday – unfortunately we couldn’t get tickets on the glass but they are just a couple rows up! Also included is unlimited – well by this we mean four beer per person as the arena has a restriction – beer for the evening. Sorry about that miscommunication in the advertisement for the draw.”

Oh my god could this guy talk any more? The Giants are up to bat right now!

“So, will you all please give a warm Stanley’s welcome to two of the San Jose Sharks here to draw the winning entry! We have Logan Couture and TJ Galiardi!”

The rest of the place cheered, I focused my attention on the televisions.

“Logan, would you please draw a name?”

Thank god this would be over soon.

“Congratulations to,” the bar manager started to say then Logan filled in the name. “Danielle Watson.”

My gaze snapped onto Danielle who’s eyes widened before she jumped up out of her seat and went over to the bar. I guess this meant that I’m going to a San Jose Sharks playoff game this weekend. I watched carefully as both of the hockey players congratulated Danielle and the bar manager handed her an envelope with the tickets. Everyone applauded and the manager ended his speech with ‘go Giants and go Sharks!’ Which riled up the crowd even more.

Danielle came bounding back to our table. “Oh my god Em! Can you believe it? I won! I’ve never been to a live hockey game before. Like obviously I’ve watched them play before but I’ve never been in the rink. This is exciting, don’t you think?”

Before I could answer her, I was cut off. “Oh look it’s Giants fan. Hope your team can do better tonight than they did last night.”

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Logan Couture who decided to make his way to our table with his teammate. “Oh look it’s someone who thinks he knows me.” I took a long sip of my beer. If he was going to be around again, I was going to need more alcohol inside of me. “What are you doing over here anyways? Don’t you have any adoring fans to attend to?”

He pulled up the chair beside me and sat down. “Dean thought it would be a good idea if Gally and I joined the winner of the draw for a bit. It’s just a shame that you’re here also.”

“Danielle, I’ve had my hockey experience. Can I please not go with you to the game on Friday?” I tried to plead with my best friend. If I was going to have to tolerate sitting beside this guy for any period of time, I wouldn’t need to go to an actual hockey game, well, ever.

She shook her head and shot me a look that said ‘you promised. You’re going.’

There goes that plan. I took another long drink of my beer – anything to avoid conversation with the Jays fan beside me. At least Danielle looked like she was having a civil conversation with the other hockey player at our table.

“So,” he said with a somewhat smirk on his face. “I’m Logan, it’s nice to meet you. You are?”

I took a deep breath and let it out. What did he think this was? Some sort of matchmaking service where just because a female won the tickets to his team’s playoff game that I would suddenly be interested in him? I put the nicest smile I could fake on my face and turned to look him in the eye, “Not interested.”

He shook his head. “Who said anything about being interested?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t have to say it. The tone in your voice, the look in your eyes and that smirk on your face all indicate that you’re interested and quite frankly, I’m not.” I really needed to stop looking him in the eyes. I’ve never met someone with a hazel eye colour like that before.

Logan nodded sarcastically, “Oh. So you’re reading my friendliness as being interested in you. Right. I was actually trying to be polite and get the name of the person I’m sitting beside rather than refer to you as ‘crazy Giants fan’ like I have been.”

“Yeah? Well I’ve been referring to you as Jays fan so I guess we’re even.”

“Here’s the thing though,” our sever dropped off a glass of water for him and the guy he called Gally. “You know my name. You heard Dean say it, I introduced myself and I’m willing to bet that your friend, Danielle, she told you who I was last night.” I could feel my mouth getting drier. I really didn’t want to argue with this guy again. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Hey Cooch,” the guy called Gally interrupted us thank god. “Danielle was just telling me that she’s never been to a live hockey game and that Emma doesn’t watch hockey.”

Figures that Danielle would rat me out like that. Now he knows my name. I wondered what else Danielle would tell this Gally guy before he left with Logan for the night. I hoped that she would leave soccer off the table – although I doubted that would last, it’s her equivalent to baseball – and more importantly that our school would be left out of the conversation.

The smile on Logan’s face grew as he took a glance at me before facing across the table to Danielle and Gally. “Is that so? Well I’m sure the game on Friday won’t disappoint you. Maybe, if the game goes well, you ladies would like to come down and meet the other guys on the team after the game? It can only help your understanding of the game to meet the other guys on the team, Emma.”

I looked over at Danielle in hopes of getting an escape – an out, anything – but Gally captured her attention once more and she was giggling. She was now a lost cause at getting out of this situation, she was too far gone.

“Would it really have been so bad for you to tell me your name yourself?” He took a sip of his water. “Or do you enjoy being impossibly difficult.”

“The second one, definitely.” I grabbed the pitcher to top up my beer. It looked as though Logan wouldn’t be leaving any time soon, which meant more alcohol. “So why are you still here?” Danielle giggled once more and I saw out of the corner of my eye, gave the guy sitting beside her a light shove on the forearm. She full on flirting with him now and probably loved every minute of it. The guy on the opposite side of the table was extremely good looking, especially in comparison to Jays fan. “Because you like being in places you’re not really welcome? Or are you still here because your friend is attempting to wheel my best friend?”

He laughed and rolled his hazel eyes, “Are you always this difficult? Or am I the lucky one you choose to be a pain in the ass to?”

My attention was no longer being split between making retorts at Logan and the Giants game; no he was getting all of my attention now. “I chose to be a pain in the ass? I believe you were the one who started it last night. You’re the one who made the first jab, not me. So I have every right to be a so called pain in the ass to you.”

At this rate, it was looking like a two shots of tequila night. Maybe more.

“So basically you’re saying you can’t handle a little chirping when it comes to your poor decisions regarding which teams you like?”

I gave him an incredulous look. “Are you serious right now?”

“No,” he rolled his eyes again which made me focus on his eyes once more. God he has got to stop doing that. He’s not even that good looking. “Yes, of course I’m serious. You can’t handle a little chirping.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes, “If only you knew the things that were said on the pitch. If you knew that, you would know just how much ‘chirping’ I can handle.” I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly before filling my mouth with beer. As much as I didn’t want Danielle to bring up soccer, I did it myself.

Logan chuckled to himself. “The pitch? Really? What do you play?”

“Soccer,” I gritted my teeth. “Not that it matters to you.”

“Right now there’s a respectable sport,” he shook his head and swirled his water around his glass. The sound of Danielle and Gally laughing again pulled our attention away from each other briefly before Logan continued, but he mumbled. “If only you were as easy to talk to as her.”

I sighed. I could barely hear his last comment. “What was that mumbles?”

“Do you enjoy being anti-social? Is it like your trademark or something? Your friend seems to be fine to talk to, so what makes you so special? Why do you have to be so damn annoying?” He lifted his hat off his head and ran his hand through his hair before putting his hat back on. Backwards this time.

Oh this was turning into a classic. Logan thought I was being anti-social because I didn’t want to talk to him. Heaven forbid it actually be that I don’t want to talk to him. Apparently it’s impossible for anyone to not like him.

Thankfully, Natasha came by with our pizza and four plates because she obviously thought the two hockey players were joining us. I grabbed a plate and put a slice onto it before focusing my attention on the television once more. The Giants managed to get up by three runs in the time I was having a completely unwanted conversation with Logan.

I hated the allegation that I was anti-social because I either didn’t want to talk to someone or didn’t know how to have a conversation with them. It wasn’t my fault that it took a while for me to be completely open and comfortable talking with someone – Danielle was a prime example of that. Granted it helped that we are roommates at school, have a lot of the same classes, are teammates and on occasion would get stuck rooming together on the road.

Conversations aren’t the easiest thing, especially when you don’t know what to say.

“So you’re ignoring me now. That’s fine by me. Oh look Bautista is up. The tying run is at the plate.”

If he thought taunting me was going to get me to respond to him, he had the wrong idea by a long shot.

“Well Cooch,” Gally spoke up again and got the attention of the table. “We should probably head out. Skate tomorrow.” Logan nodded and finished off his glass of water. “It was great to meet you Danielle. I’ve got your number and I’ll text you on Friday. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to you Emma.”

I shrugged and mentioned how it was no big deal; I’d probably see him this weekend. And from the looks of it, it wouldn’t surprise me if I saw past that either. Danielle laughed at my response and continued her goodbyes to Gally.

Logan stood up, “Guess I’ll be seeing you on Friday. Maybe then if you come and meet my teammates, you can be a little friendlier? I mean you don’t have to like me, whatever I could care less but you know they are my teammates and it’s the playoffs…”

“Yeah, whatever Logan,” I took a bite of my pizza and focused on the television just behind him.

He moved so he was directly in my sight line. “Hey look at that, you do know my name. We’re making some progress here Emma.” He smiled brightly and genuinely at me. “I’ll see you on Friday.”

Danielle reached across the table and smacked me. “Why did you have to be so rude? He was just trying to be nice!”

“Right, that’s what they call it these days. Just trying to be nice. You saw how he treated me yesterday. I don’t owe that guy anything. He deserved what he got tonight,” I grabbed a piece of pizza, put it on a plate and shoved it across the table. “It was going to be cold by the time you got to it. What were you an what’s his face talking about?”

I did not like the hint of jealousy that came out of my mouth when I asked my best friend that question. There was no way I could be jealous of Danielle and a hockey player. I didn’t even like hockey so through that reasoning, I didn’t like hockey players. If I don’t like your sport, chances are I won’t like you. It’s not like I meant for things to turn out that way, it’s just how I grew up. It was baseball or bust.

Danielle started to go on about what she and TJ as she corrected me talked about. Their conversation mostly revolved around hockey and what playoff hockey was like. He asked about what she did and she told him about school and soccer. It seemed like they had a genuine, ‘get-to-know-you’ conversation whereas Logan and I made continued attempts to belittle each other in various ways.

Friday night was going to be interesting, that’s for sure.